


this fearful new world

by soundthebells (kosy)



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Canon-Typical Ambient Angst, F/F, Gen, Post-MAG 160, Transcript Format, What The Ghost Episode, it's overall lighthearted tho
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-17
Updated: 2020-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:40:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23179369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kosy/pseuds/soundthebells
Summary: After everything goes to hell, Georgie does what she's always done: she takes care of the people she has decided are hers to protect, and she records an episode of What The Ghost.
Relationships: Georgie Barker & Melanie King & Basira Hussain, Georgie Barker/Melanie King
Comments: 14
Kudos: 65





	this fearful new world

**Author's Note:**

> i'm sure this has been done before, but the idea kept tugging at me until i had to write it! love these ladies. i hope you enjoy the read :)

**GEORGIE**

Hello, everyone, and welcome back to What The Ghost!

**MELANIE**

Sorry for the long hiatus. The recording schedule was kind of thrown off— 

**GEORGIE**

—the apocalypse will do that, as it turns out—

**MELANIE**

But we’re back and better than ever!

**GEORGIE**

Or something. If you can call it that. 

**MELANIE**

I can and will. I’m told optimism is one of my better traits  _ [GEORGIE somehow manages to roll her eyes audibly.]  _ Anyway, we managed to get this recording rig going. Really hope the levels aren’t too awful, but there’s no way to actually check. It’s courtesy of our friend Basira— 

**BASIRA,** _from a different room_

What?  _ [More urgently.]  _ Is anything wrong?

**GEORGIE,** _calling out off-mic_

Oh! No, we’re just recording the first— _ [to MELANIE]  _ episode? Do we still call them episodes? 

**MELANIE** ,  _ pensive _

I think it’s called a broadcast when it’s radio. Though that probably changes when it’s aided by… 

**GEORGIE,** _into the mic again_

Ugh. Probably. Still radio, though.  _ [Back to yelling at BASIRA] _ It’s the first postapocalyptic  _ broadcast _ of What The Ghost!

**BASIRA,** _a little closer to the mic_

I feel like the last couple weeks have quite thoroughly proved ghosts are real.

**GEORGIE**

Right, that reminds me. Believers: we have good news and bad news! 

**MELANIE** ,  _ snorting _

Mm. 

**GEORGIE**

Good news first: you were totally right! The supernatural is one  _ hundred _ percent real.

**MELANIE**

One hundred percent! You get to rub it in everybody’s faces!

**GEORGIE** ,  _ cutting MELANIE off _

Bad news: you were _ totally right! The supernatural is one hundred percent real!  _

**BASIRA,** _laughing slightly_

Finally nobody can argue with you.

**GEORGIE**

Everybody, this is Basira Hussain. She’s guest starring now because she’s here in the room with us and also talking, I suppose. 

**BASIRA**

_ [wryly] _ Truly, I’m honored. 

**GEORGIE**

As you should be. I’m Georgie Barker, your host—

**MELANIE**

—and I’m Melanie King, your  _ other _ host. 

_ [A couple uncertain moments pass. It’s hard to know where to begin when the world has ended, you are living in a compound in an undisclosed location just outside of London, and you don’t even know if anybody is even left to listen.]  _

So… recap? 

**GEORGIE** , _ inhaling slowly and letting it out in a long breath _

...yes. Recap. 

_ [She clears her throat.]  _

As I’m sure you’re all aware, around a month ago, the apocalypse happened. Nobody’s sure why, per se. But we’ve… actually got a better idea of it than most? Sort of? God, where do I start. 

**BASIRA**

The Fears. 

**GEORGIE**

Right. As good a place as any, I suppose.

**BASIRA**

If nothing else, it at least gives everything some sort of sensible framework. 

**MELANIE**

Somehow, I don’t find that particularly comforting. 

**GEORGIE**

But for those who do...

_ [Short pause, then as if by rote:]  _

There are fourteen Entities, capital-E Entities, that exist alongside the world as we know it. They don’t just represent our fears; they  _ are _ our fears. Nobody understands exactly how it works. But if you want to take notes, now is the time: you’ve got The Spiral, which is basically madness, your mind lying to you. The End, death. The Desolation, senseless, unpredictable destruction. The Lonely, which is what it says on the tin, really, just being alone and forsaken by everyone. The Dark, an old fear. It’s darkness and what lurks within. The Corruption, filth and bugs and such. The Buried, which is claustrophobia and everything being too close, crushing you. The Vast, which is the opposite of that—the infinity of the universe, our horrifying smallness in an uncaring world. The Web, manipulation and loss of control and being caught in a trap you cannot see; also, spiders, obviously. Never quite got that one. The Flesh, essentially garden variety body horror and meat. The Slaughter, senseless murder and war. The Hunt, which is more an animal fear than anything else, but it’s still potent. The Stranger, the unknown and not-quite-right. Ah, damn, I’m missing something, it’s hard to get all fourteen in one go… 

**MELANIE,** _ cutting in _

And the Eye. 

_ [Silence that stretches on just a little too long for comfort.]  _

**GEORGIE** ,  _ a tense edge beneath her words _

Yes. And the Eye, or the Beholding. Being watched. Having your secrets exposed. Terrible knowledge. The kind of knowledge that kills. 

_ [Another tight pause.] _

**BASIRA** ,  _ clearing her throat _

Well, it’s been fun, but I think I’m going to head out. 

**GEORGIE**

Ah. Right. Are you sure?

**BASIRA** ,  _ with something that could be dry amusement _

Yes. There’s plenty to do ‘round here, goodness knows. 

_ [Sound of footsteps walking away.]  _

**MELANIE**

...so should we get into why this happened, or…? 

**GEORGIE,** _briskly_

Yes, of course. The apocalypse. Er… we’re not really sure yet. But… 

**MELANIE**

But we’re pretty certain it has to do with a—a ritual, I suppose.  _ [Ritual is said like a grim and particularly dirty word.]  _

**GEORGIE**

Probably. We don’t yet know which of the Entities pulled it off. Each has a ritual that brings it and other related Fears t—God, forget it, it hardly matters now. But, well. It seems like they’re all here now, no matter how the world might have worked before. They’re all… here. I’m sure those of you listening could quite reasonably tick each of those Fears off with your experiences from the last couple of weeks. It’s been… well, if you’ve lived this long, you’ve done well. You’re… you’re doing well. We’re happy you’ve survived. 

_ [Pause. Neither seem to know what to say.]  _

I know this was a relatively short episode, but recording is a risk with the Beholding looking in, and we don’t know yet if this broadcast even worked. 

_ [MELANIE snorts.] _

We’ll air this one again a few times a week if we can swing it; we’ve got a  _ [bitter sigh] _ tape recorder going for this one, so we’ll just play it off into the mic at random times. It seems like the sort of thing people should know. What the world has become. It’s dangerous out there, and any knowledge you can get is… 

**MELANIE**

Well, it certainly won’t hurt.

...Probably.

**GEORGIE**

_ Melanie. _

At any rate, we’ll be airing other episodes too, recorded live from… well, where we are. We can’t really say because of the—the rather unfortunate status of recorded media. But it’ll cover what we knew about the Entities before the apocalypse, what we’re learning now, how all this works. How to avoid them, outsmart them, outrun them at least until tomorrow. All we can do is take this day by day. Do what you must to survive, but do not hurt people. Hold on to—to who you are. To what you love. That’s the only way to keep going on as yourself. 

_ [Clears throat.] _

So. Keep doing that. 

**MELANIE,** _ clapping her hands together once _

Well! Thanks for listening to What The Ghost. I’ll be the first to admit these ones are probably going to be a little less fun than usual, but we hope you’ll still tune in next week. 

**GEORGIE,** _breaking character a little_

Well, don’t be so quick to judge! Who knows, maybe we’ll get into it later, start doing bits about the Flesh. _[muffled snort]_ Hey, babe, a man with four heads, three hands, two pelvises, and at least eight femurs walks into a bar—

**MELANIE**

_ He had better fucking not, I worked **damn** hard to get rid of that f—  _

**GEORGIE,** _restraining a laugh_

Alright, I think that’ll do it for today, thank you for tuning in! We’ve been What The Ghost, I’m your host Georgie Barker and—

**MELANIE**

—and Melanie King. Soon to be Georgie and Melanie Barker-King.

**GEORGIE**

Melanie, this is a professional podcast.  _ [She sounds vaguely flustered. It’s a rare feeling for her.] _

**MELANIE,** _ leaning into the mic _

For anybody new, I’ve been her guest before now, and trust me when I say that nothing about this was ever professional.  _ [to GEORGIE]  _ And you certainly can’t change your brand now. We need  _ something _ stable in this world. 

_ [GEORGIE snorts in spite of herself. The soft whirring in the background, too routine and oddly natural to notice before this point, stops with a click, and the recording ends.] _

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading! please do drop a comment if you feel inclined, and/or contact me on tumblr [@boneroutes](https://boneroutes.tumblr.com)!! hope yall are doing well <3


End file.
